The 2026 “Mieux Comprendre l’Europe” Book Prize was awarded to “Moi, Europe: Femme, Déesse, Continent” by Lenka Horňáková-Civade, published by Éditions Reconnaissance. In this book, the laureate gives a voice to Europe itself, personified as a woman who tells her own story. Through her memories – from her mythological abduction by Zeus to wars, political transformations and artistic representations of the continent – she journeys through more than two millennia of European history, philosophy and geography.

The book explores what it means to be “Europe”: an identity in constant transformation, shaped both by its violence and contradictions, its power of attraction and its political project. The author also offers a personal and feminist perspective on the figure of Europe, traditionally told and represented by men.

Inviting Lenka Horňáková-Civade would therefore be about more than simply presenting her book. This EuroQuestions will go beyond the book to explore her vision of Europe, examine what these European myths and narratives tell us about our shared identity, and shed light on the role of women both in these narratives and in the construction of Europe.

Lenka Horňáková-Civade is a Czech writer and painter who has lived in France since 1994. Born in 1971 in Prostějov, she received the Prix Renaudot des Lycéens in 2016 for Giboulées de soleil. She writes in French and has placed Europe at the heart of her work for several years. This is reflected in Filles de l’Est, femmes de l’Ouest, a collection exploring the experiences of women from Central and Eastern Europe and their lives in the West.